I acknowledge the Gadigal of the Eora Nation as the traditional owners of this land.
Thank you to the McKell Institute for inviting me to speak. McKell’s work has a real impact on public policy in Australia. Sam and his team make a positive contribution with each piece of research they produce and every discussion they host.
A special thank you to eBay for generously hosting us tonight. You couldn’t pick a more appropriate multinational business to talk about Australian small business.
eBay has changed small business forever. Instead of solely relying on bricks and mortar, human capital has created a global platform for buying and selling, opening up millions of small business opportunities across the world.
How many small businesses simply wouldn’t exist today if it weren’t for eBay? Hearing the story of how Pierre Omidyar sold a broken laser pointer for $14 after writing some code brought home to me just how powerful a transition we are experiencing - and that was over 20 years ago.
eBay gives us an insight into how skills, technology and innovation will shape the future environment for businesses more than ever before. The trend is clear.
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